Wrist watch bracelet

ABSTRACT

A wrist-watch strap made of a material which is at least semirigid, comprising a ring with a break of continuity, so-called open portion, said open portion which is limited by two edges having a width which corresponds to the average diameter of a wrist, and a closure-member having an end hinged about an edge of said open-portion and a free end, said free end being adapted to overlap a portion of said ring in the vicinity of the other edge of said open-portion.

United States Patent 1 3,700,148 Lanvin 1 Oct. 24, 1972 I541 WRIST WATCH BRACELET 1,574,962 3/1926 Fischer ..63/3 72 Inventor; Lucie Lanvin, Paris France 1,093,759 4/1914 Becken ..224/4 [73] Assignee: Jeanne Lanvin Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza [22] July 1970 Assistant Examiner-John Mannix [2i] Appl- No.: 53,899 Attorney-Christen & Sabol [30] Foreign Application Priority Data ABSTRACT July I0, 1969 France ..6923429 A wrist-watch r p m o a m e l which i at least semi-rigid, comprising a ring with a break of con- 521 US. Cl. ..224/4 J, 224/4 D, 224/28 w Wily, so-called Open P a open Portion 511 Int. Cl ..A44c 5/00 which is limited by edges having a width which [53] n w 0 Search w 4 R 4 K corresponds to the average diameter of a wrist, and a 224/28. 63/1 3 R 8 d closure-member having an end hinged about an edge of said open-portion and a free end, said free end being adapted to overlap a portion of said ring in the [56] References Cited vicinity of the other edge of said open-portion.

UNITED STATES PATENTS a 1,543,399 6/1925 Smith ..224/4 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED um 24 I972 FiG.2

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WRIST WATCH BRACELET The present invention relates to an improved wristwatch strap and, in particular, to a strap adapted to be used as a portable-clock stand.

Numerous shapes have been given to wrist-watch straps with a view to turning them into ornamental articles however, the creative power of manufacturers happens to be restricted by requirement regarding the conditions of use of watches, so that the wrist-watches of the prior art always turn out to consist in a time-measuring instrument fastened to the users wrist by means of two holding members attached to the watch, on opposite side thereof, and joined together at the back of the wrist.

One object of the invention is to provide a device permitting to obtain a wrist-watch strap having an omamental appearance novel with respect to the straps of the prior art, while being at the same time more versatile and more easily handled.

According to one feature of the invention, the present wristwatch strap consists in an article of rigid or semi-rigid material, in the shape of an open ring, the open portion of which has a width substantially mating the diameter of the users wrist, and to an edge of which is hingedly mounted a closure-member adapted to overlap the other edge of said open portion.

According to a preferred embodiment, the portion of said ring which is overlapped by said closure-member is adapted to receive a watch protruding from said ring portion, the closure-member being provided with an opening, the shape and location of which being so selected as to encase the watch and to lock said closing member.

While the invention is not restricted to the use of a specific material for making such a strap, however the open ring and its associated closure-member are preferably of metal.

It is also to be noted that the strap according to the present invention is not restricted to receive a watch of a specific shape, and that the watch used can be of any type and comprise any ornamental member or design, in particular as regards its dial.

Again, the cross-section of the wrist-watch strap according to the invention can be selected with a view to produce any desired ornamental effect however, said cross-section will preferably be of circular or slightly oblong shape in order to correspond to the shape of the users wrist, the hinge of the closure-member being so located as to intersect the main axis of the oblong cross-section.

The invention will be better understood from the following description disclosing two embodiment of the wrist-watch strap, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wrist-watch strap according to the invention, in its open position FIG. 2 shows the same strap in its closed position FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 in the closed position, and

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the strap according to the invention, according to which the watch is mounted on the strap closure-member.

The wrist-watch strap according to the first embodiment, such as shown in FIGS. 1 to 2, comprises a cylindrical ring 1, preferably slightly ovoidal or elliptic as shown in FIG. 3, which is a cross-section. The ring 1, is provided with an open portion 2, the two edges of which are generatrices of the ring.

Ring 1 bears a watch 3 attached to its outer face and located substantially on the smaller axis of the elliptic cross-section. Ring 1 is complemented by a closuremember 4 hinged at 5 about that edge of the ring which is opposite the edge in the-vicinity of which watch 3 is mounted, so that such closure-member 4 can overlap the portion of the ring whichbears watch 3.

To this end, closure-member 4 is provided with an opening 6 having a profile mating the shape of the watch, so that the latter perfectly fits into said opening 6 when closure-member 4 is caused to overlap ring 1, watch 3 then locking said closure-member by a mere frictional action.

Optionally, the closing of ring 1 is complemented by a locking safety device intended to prevent any unexpected unlocking of closure-member 4, said device consisting, for instance, of a pin 7 protruding from the inside face of said closure-memberin the vicinity of the free and thereof, and cooperating with a pin-hole 8 located on the outer face of ring 1 in register with pin 7.

Closure-member 4 terminates in an outwardly bent portion 9 acting as a gripping member permitting to initiate the movement of closure-member 4 about hinge 5 when ring 1 is caused to open. Indeed, as slight tangent thrust exerted with the thumb, in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3, is sufficient to cause closure-member 4 to unlock and, therefore, cause ring 1 to open.

' Portion 9 also serves in the manner of a stabilizing device which allows ring 1 to rest on a plane surface without incurring the risk of rolling along said surface, and the watch dial being perfectly visible by the user.

It is also to be noted that ring 1 is provided witha recess 10 adapted to receive the watch winder and permitting to actuate said winder. It will be easily understood that the users wrist can be easily inserted into the strap according to the invention, since open portion 2 constitutes a break of continuity, the width of which substantially corresponds to the diameter of an average wrist.

Once the users wrist has been introduced into ring 1, it is only necessary to. fold back closure-member 4 which is finally locked by the watch-case and, contingently, by an additional safety device.

FIG. 3 and 4 show another embodiment in which the watch is mounted, not on ring 1, but on closuremember 4 in this case, the watch dial, visible in the figure, is located on the outer face of closure-member 4, whereas the bottom of the watch-case protrudes from the inner face of said closure-member and cooperates with a mating recess 6 provided in ring 1 and adapted to receive said bottom.

In the case of a flat case-bottom, recess 6 may not exist or may be replaced by a cavity obtained in the outer face of ring 1 by stamping.

What is claimed is:

1. A wrist-watch strap formed generally in the shape of a ring when worn on the wrist of a person, comprising two elongated strips of semi-rigid material curved semi-elliptically in their lengthwise directions and being hingedly joined to each other at one of their respective ends to provide a so-called open-member and a closure-member, the space between said one end of the open-member and the free end of the openmember defining an opening for placing the strap on the wrist, a portion of the closure-member being disposed in closely overlapping relationship to a portion of the open-member when the strap is being worn, a watch mounted on said closure-member and an opening provided in said open-member in alignment with said watch, the shape of said opening in the openmember being so selected as to encase the watch, said closure-member being provided with an opening for viewing the dial of said watch, and releasable locking means to hold the closure-member in said overlapping relationship.

2. A wrist-watch strap according to claim 1, wherein the opening provided in at least one of said two members also in cludes a recess for a watch winder.

3. A wrist-watch strap according to claim 2, wherein said opening including a recess for a watch winder is provided in the free end portion of the closuremember.

4. A wrist-watch strap according to claim 3, wherein the free end portion of said closure-member is provided with said opening including a recess for a watch winder, and includes means for attaching a watch case in said opening.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,700,1 48 Dated October 2 1, 1972 Inventm;(s) Lucie Lanvin It is certified that error appears in the above-identifiedpatent' and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In item 73, change the assignee to read --JEANNE LANVIN;

a French Company.

Signed and sealed this 20th day of February 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

ROBERT GOTTSCHALK EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. Atte sting Officer Commissioner of Patents USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 i: us GOVERNMENT PRINYING OFFICE: I969 0-366-334 FORM PO-IOSO (10-69) 

1. A wrist-watch strap formed generally in the shape of a ring when worn on the wrist of a person, comprising two elongated strips of semi-rigid material curved semi-elliptically in their lengthwise directions and being hingedly joined to each other at one of their respective ends to provide a so-called open-member and a closure-member, the space between said one end of the openmember and the free end of the open-member defining an opening for placing the strap on the wrist, a portion of the closuremember being disposed in closely overlapping relationship to a portion of the open-member when the strap is being worn, a watch mounted on said closure-member and an opening provided in said open-member in alignment with said watch, the shape of said opening in the open-member being so selected as to encase the watch, said closure-member being provided with an opening for viewing the dial of said watch, and releaSable locking means to hold the closure-member in said overlapping relationship.
 2. A wrist-watch strap according to claim 1, wherein the opening provided in at least one of said two members also in cludes a recess for a watch winder.
 3. A wrist-watch strap according to claim 2, wherein said opening including a recess for a watch winder is provided in the free end portion of the closure-member.
 4. A wrist-watch strap according to claim 3, wherein the free end portion of said closure-member is provided with said opening including a recess for a watch winder, and includes means for attaching a watch case in said opening. 